Multi-millionaire suffered panic attacks after selling company for $100 million: ‘I think I lost…'

Multi-millionaire suffered panic attacks after selling company for $100 million: ‘I think I lost…'

Multi-millionaire suffered panic attacks after selling company for $100 million: ‘I think I lost…' ByMuskaan Sharma Feb 03, 2025 05:33 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Multi-millionaire Jake Kassan, who sold his company in 2018, experienced anxiety and depression, feeling a void despite his wealth.

A multi-millionaire founder of a Los Angeles based company said that he struggled with anxiety and depression after selling his company in 2018. 27-year-old Jake Kassan sold his company for $100 million and thought that the money would make him happy. Now, the entrepreneur has opened up about how after becoming rich, he lost his sense of purpose and regularly struggled with bouts of anxiety and depression.

A college dropout, Jack Kassan had started accessory brand MVMT Watches and sold it to the Movado Group(Instagram/jakekassan)

A college dropout, Kassan had started accessory brand MVMT Watches and sold it to the Movado Group, walking away a multi-millionaire.

“The North Star when I was younger, was always financial freedom,” Kassan told CNBC Make It. “So my purpose, I always felt was: I wanted to make money.”

However, soon after the sale he felt a shift in his goals.

“I think I lost my purpose. For the first time in years, I couldn’t find anything that felt as important as that entrepreneurial journey." Kassan said that his struggle with anxiety and panic attacks worsened after selling his company.

As time passed, Kassan said he couldn’t help but start to feel a void growing inside him. “I finally climbed to the top of my mountain, but I didn’t find what I was looking for,” he said in a YouTube video.

“I turned 30, I [had] just gone through a breakup...I had friends and stuff, but still, just finding people who understood [how] lonely it felt at times ... it just felt emotionally depleting,” he told CNBC Make It. “How do you empathise with someone who is rich and depressed?” he said in the video.

Currently, the 33-year-old is working on building his YouTube channel and is an angel investor for companies.

“I can’t buy more peace of mind. That’s my relationship with money. I’m grateful for it. I appreciate it. I’d rather have it than not have it... but there’s nothing that it can do that is going to make me a happier person," he said.

(Also read: Indian-origin founder clueless after getting rich from selling $975 million firm)